The best fashion and gift stores Berlin

This sumptuous bookstore, which extends under several of the arches that support the S-Bahn tracks, is a veritable Ali Baba's cavern for art books and specialist literature (cinema, dance, theatre, design, fashion, architecture, etc.). It has many books in English and a good selection in French. There are even the Cahiers du Cinéma, that's to say! If you stroll around Savignyplatz or the Ku'damm, take the time to stop by, you might leave with a book on Berlin or Charlottenburg.

This recent gigantic shopping center is full of mainstream stores. You can buy there what you can find in France in any shopping mall and you can find the big German chains. Nothing very original in itself, except maybe the Hertha Berlin and Bayern Munich stores for the soccer lovers. Another gift idea is the Eicie store with its posters and paintings of all kinds, many of which represent Berlin. The Bundesrat (Federal Council) can be seen from the footbridge connecting the two parts of the building.

Running out of inspiration when it comes to bringing back memories for family and friends? Have you thought about theAmpelmann, that little fellow at the traffic lights of the former GDR and for whom the former East Germans fought? Indeed, there was talk of institutionalizing the classic, unfunny West German model all over Germany, but the sentimental attachment to the little man in the hat was stronger? And it has become a cult symbol: T-shirts, lamps and all kinds of accessories are available in red and green...

There are two reasons to go to Galeries Lafayette: the building, designed by architect Jean Nouvel, and the basement, reserved for young Berlin designers. For the rest, it's just like in France, only more expensive. The real treasure is the French bookshop in the basement, which manages to offer the same prices as in France. Its selection of books on Berlin and Germany is excellent and the advice is competent. From there, take the opportunity to go to the Quartier 206. You will be surprised by its design inspired by Art Deco and the 1920s Berlin.

Wear what you want, when you want, is the motto of Oni. Inspired by nature, founder Antonia Magdalena Bernhardt creates organic jewelry in silver and gold (recycled or certified) in soft shapes, from sustainable and fair trade. Antonia is fascinated by the lightness of metal and finds it a constant source of inspiration. Undeniably unisex, Oni invites you to dare more with extravagant creations but also offers, of course, beautiful fetish pieces to wear every day.

As the name suggests, Trash Schick is all about trash chic! This very friendly thrift store has been located in Friedrichshain since the 1980s. You can find leather coats, dresses, three-piece suits, crazy and colorful outfits from the 1970s and 1980s, fancy hats, second-hand raincoats, military clothes... You will have understood, we have the embarrassment of the choice! If you don't find anything to your taste, you can also browse the small selection of vinyls. A great little thrift store.

One of the great thrift stores where you can find nice and dressed sape: sweatshirts, ball gowns and suits, jackets in good condition and at low prices, dating from the years 1970-1980... The basement is dedicated to young men who will choose between pink bombers and more chic jackets. There are other addresses of the Picknweight chain (you pay by weight) in Mitte (Münzstraße 19 & Alte Schönhauser Straße 30) and Kreuzberg (Bergmannstraße 102).

Here you can make your own necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and anything else you can imagine wearing, thanks to the multitude of beads and accessories that are sold. Roberta Oehmigen, who has been running the shop for years, also sells her own collections which are stunning and each one more original than the last. You will find vintage jewellery as well as eccentric and crazy jewellery (earrings with dinosaurs or seahorses for example).

Most of the shops that sell hemp take advantage of the opportunity to sell water pipes and other bangs to inveterate smokers, and the beautiful utopia of hemp, a raw material that could save our forests from destruction, often takes a back seat. Except here at the hemp house, where no hypocritical promotion is made but where real hemp products are sold: clothes such as trousers, shirts and sweatshirts, and also hemp pasta, rasta pasta, cleaning products, tea, etc.

There is something idyllic about the atmosphere of the Flohmarkt (flea market) on this square in Friedrichshain. Lots of families, swarming merchants selling hand-knitted socks, vinyl collections or books of all kinds. Others will have just spread a blanket on the ground with a few old household appliances. There you will find a large number of remnants of the GDR. A stroll to combine with a brunch in a local café.

The shop carries its name well: The clothes that inhabit it are explosive, aguichants, coloured, original and always fashion. It's casual, sportswear and perfect for the evenings, most of the collections are mostly worn by people under 20!

Hardcore in all musical directions, Core Tex is heaven (or hell) for all fans of punk, hard rock and alternative rock. You can find all the alternative and independent labels there. A lot of imports contribute to the great choice of the shop, which tries to get both CDs and recent vinyls: no less than 10,000 CDs are on sale here, as well as a little less vinyl, and of course a whole lot of fanzines, videos and books, and a very large collection of tee-shirts to get a new look.

Since 2014, Lala Berlin has been designing clothes for Berlin women and for women around the world. From light pashminas in pastel and fluorescent colours to airy mohair sweaters, silk tops and dresses. Leyla Piedayesh, the brains and hands behind Lala Berlin, has been the city's most prominent designer for many years. She also has a boutique in Copenhagen, Denmark. Prices are high. It is possible to order online on the website, where you can also check out the wide range of clothes on offer.

It is the largest mall in Berlin with 90,000 square meters and 150 stores. The Gropius Passagen is equipped with the classic department stores: fast fashion, such as H&M, C&A, Primark, but also toys, sports, health and beauty stores. It's well known that shopping makes your stomach churn: fortunately, Gropius has twenty or so gastronomic options to help you regain your strength! And to end the day in style, nothing better than to settle down at the UCI Multiplex cinema in front of the latest blockbuster.